Victor Allen (left), Adekola Allen and Maria Twitty, suspects in a drug arrest Friday, are seen in these undated photos released by Burlington police. / Courtesy photos

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Free Press Staff

Three suspects arrested last week in a drug raid in Burlington’s Old North End pleaded not guilty Monday in Vermont Superior Court to possession and trafficking charges.

City police arrested brothers Victor Allen, 41, and Adekola Allen, 29, of Brooklyn; and Maria Twitty, 41, of Burlington during a predawn sweep of their apartment at 69 Spring St.

The building sits across the street from the Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler School.

With state and federal agents, police seized about 300 bags of crack cocaine and 900 bags of heroin, about $20,000 in cash and a 9mm handgun, according to a court affidavit.

Adekola Allen has been charged with felony cocaine possession, drug sales conspiracy and heroin trafficking. Victor Allen faces four felony cocaine-possession charges, along with a charge of heroin trafficking. Twitty was charged with a single felony count of conspiracy to sell drugs.

According to the court documents:

• Two of Twitty’s children, both minors, were in the apartment at the time of the raid, as was Ronald Thompson, 46, who has not been charged.

• The arrests followed a Feb. 10 sting operation in which an unidentified informant bought crack cocaine from Victor Allen, police say.

The suspects were jailed for lack of bail, $100,000 each for the Allens and $10,000 for Twitty, according to court records.

If convicted of a drug-related conspiracy, the suspects face prison time of up to five years and a $10,000 fine. The lesser of the possession charges (possession of less than 2.5 grams of cocaine) carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and $100,000 in fines. The penalty for heroin trafficking is up to 30 years in prison and$1 million in fines.